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The- Acton Froa Press Wednesday May 21 1380 Don McDonald Publisher Founded in nl Tin Mi Now- t Brampton Tho Miss Advertising pad fot Iho to soil Member Tt on Second class is on on thai i by I not bo charged for EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT Editor Eric portsWo mo Diana Contributor Darkroom ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Manager Pat BUSINESSACCOUNTING OFFICE Rhonn Tfiori Hill Carolyn CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT TELEPHONE 519 Business and Editorial Office Need policy on dinners Its time for regional council to nail down a policy regarding din ners and social occasions paid for by tax dollars Recently region chairman Jack and Public Works Director Bob Moore hosted a dinner for about people at Glen Abbey Golf Club OakvUle hardly one of the more economical eating establishments in Halton The tab being picked up by the rate payers is still something of a mystery The only official word from region brass is over 1000 Some sources put it as high as or This is not the first time con troversy has erupted at the region over an expensive meal out for staff and politicians Unless council looks at the issue the problem will likely erupt again This dinner was well motivated It was a thank you to the works department supervisors special efforts to keep things running smoothly during the recent strike by workers The supervisors deserved the thank you They did such a good job of keeping things running smoothly few residents even noticed the labor dispute The issue here is not just the cost of the thank you dinner More important than the cost is the apparent secrecy surrounding the dinner before word leaked out afterwards Two members of the works committee complained they didnt know about the dinner until after it took place Not only was council not informed prior to the dinner but the committee in charge of the works department was also kept in the dark Why didnt Raftis and Moore apprize council of the fact the thank you bash was planned One can only suspect consider ing the fact funds for the dinner werent budgeted that the organ izers feared they wouldnt get cou ncils blessings A policy requiring approval of council for any dinner or social function costing above a certain figure say 200 should be established Taxpayers who are cutting back to pay soaring taxes arent happy to see civil servants and politicians feeding at the public trough It makes them even angrier when they learn there are no guidelines over feasting at the trough they fill Wasted school study The first layers of the finest tendency dust are settling on the latest and at one of the most expen sive documents funded by Haltons Board of Education con cerning middle schools Unfortun ately the study fails to pay off with new directions for educators The most useful results from the study have nothing to do with the organization of schools The seven grand revelation is that bigger schools are better than smaller schools in terms of pro gram Size rather than organization means the most concerning the education opportunities which can be offered to youngsters in middle schools In the summary of the middle school study there is also the disturbing discovery that there exists the minds of educators only a vague notion of what a middle school is Confusion and contradic tions states the summary among standards and criteria which characterize former Halton middle school reports are pro blems which are common in reference to middle schools on a wider scale The lack of a uniform definition of middle schools within and among educational circles in general is probably the most glaring example of this That confusion reflects the var iety of schools in Halton which carry the designation of middle school Some schools teach Grades Six Seven and Eight exclusively Others have Kinder garten to Grade Grade Five wings Still others contain only students in Grades Seven and Eight There are a number of reasons for this variety The main one according to the paper entitled Executive Committee Position on Middle Schools is the lack of con vincing research evidence that a middle school organization clearly resulted in superior academic achievement improved pupil attitudes towards school and learning and improved concepts of selfworth in the pupils of a middle school as compared to those same factors in a K8 school That was the extent of knowledge prior to the most re cent study Seven thousand dollars later educators are no fur ther ahead It was a waste of tax payers money As the months pass the middle school study will be layered with more dust The coating will be uniform because no one will need to again disturb its pages Appreciate publishers help Dear Don On behalf of the Trinity Activity Group I would like to take this opportunity to thank you very much for your time cooperation the use of the building the tow lift and operator on the Friday that you so generously gave us for our fertilizer sale on April 12 Needless to day our was a great suc cess and our proceeds will be used for our church renovations and Without your help our fertilizer project could not be handled as easily Thanks again Gloria Coots Fertilizer Project Convenor Acton Thanks for Profiles What happens if Quebec vote is Qui What are you going to da If the voters or Quebec say all the way home Are you going to pack everything into a covered wagon ana head west the only refuge any more for Anglophones Are you going to grow a beard obtain some false papers and slip across the Quebec border some dork night to fight In the underground Or are you going to sit on your duff go right on trying to take care of your own life and let the politicians sort out the whole sordid scene I would venture that per cent of Englishspeaking Canadians will choose the third of the above alternatives Certainly I will I have no intention of fleeing into the right wing arms of Alberta or the moderately left wing arms of Saskatchewan or the materialistic arms of B or Ontario or the salty slow braceoftheMarltlmes Or even the hearty bear hug of the Yukon Im gonna stay home cultivate my own garden It may be all weeds but that doesnt give me the right to point In scorn to the wrecked cars and dirty gravel that make up my neighbor yard You may have noticed that I hove not addressed myself to the topic of Quebec separation In the past couple of years except for my opening salvo which said more or less Let them go no big deal I cited historical parallels Britain backing gracefully out of India Ceylon Burma and a dozen others French being badly burned In and North Africa where they tried to hold on by force the Americans trying to fight Ideas with napalm and bombs in an ill con ceived and 111 fated war In Viet Nam And I still feel the same way If a majority of the people of Quebec think they would be happy if they kissed the rest of Jennifer Barr Thought I would send you a small note thanking you for your kind words In that wonderful writeup you gave me You sure can put words together So many thanks again Bob Stewart Acton Organizers of the annual bike licence sale Saturday at the police station were disappointed with the poor turnout Only 34 people showed up to renew or purchase new licences compared to al most 130 last year Halton Regional Police Officers Tom and Bob and civilians Pop Main and myself sold the licences for each which ore good for the lifetime of the bike as compared toother years when it was renewable annually for The owners names serial numbers and make and color of the bike aro processed through the Bicycle Guild in Montreal and if stolen and later found can be traced much the same as automobiles Yvonne Courtlne of RR 1 Acton won the bike- lock donated by Home Hardware and An Leung of Mill St won tho gift certificate from Anyone wishing to purchase their licence may do so at the municipal offices Mill St Want to quite smoking The Lung the family goodbye then lets return the kiss throw in a hug and let them go No names No recriminations Just a gentle severing of the ties which ore only a little over a hundred years old a mere flyspeck in the history Theres been a great deal of bewilder ment and belated sentimentality over the possibility among English speaking Can There been lot of sloppy soul searching that resembles nothing so much as a rotten mother whining after her kids turn rotten What have I done I always meant the best for them What do they want Why do they want out arc the pitiful cries of the cent Anglo majority 1 know why they want out or many of them do They have managed to retain their pride of race under two hundred years of subservience and secondclass citizenship Why did the Irish want out of the British Empire Why did the IndoChinese want out from under the benevolent rule of France Why did the Philippines and now the Canal Zone want to kick out the Yanks Yep Many many French Canadians volunteered and served loyally and gallantly In World War Know what they were called almost Invariably With condescension I was at a bilingual newspaper con Association wants to help you A With clinic is planned for May to at Sheridan College in OakvUle from to p To register call 827 Anyone who has seen me lately will pro bably wonder why my eyelids are reaching my knees Ita lock of sleep I miss my quiet rural living of Those who dont hove a hankering for country music should take a drive out any way The only thing I like about a country music song is when it is over However a few years back I sat through six long hours of a special Grand Olo Opry Christmas special In Nashville The tickets were a gift from my mother the trip was on our way to Florida and the whole Idea was a big bore However I faBcinoted To actually see the greats like Johnny Cash June Carter Mel Tlllls Hank Snow Marty Bobbins Tammy and many many more was one of the best concerto I have ever been at And to think you can save the drive to Tennessee by seeing it all or a lot of It In Compbcllvllle Since moving to Acton 1 have not hod one decent nights sleep I just cant sleep street light shining In my eyes or gravel trucks barrelling down the road at all hours of the night I miss them blaring their horns if they should happen to reach my house and still have a red light They honk their loud horn3 to warn oncoming traffic rather than I cant sleep without cars stopping In front of my house at the stop light with their loud radios blaring out the top twenty vcntlon a couple of decades ago In Quebec The announcements were made first In English Then when they were re peated in French the mainly English speaking editors were all babbling away drowning out the French This is the sort of thing that creates fury among proud people Quebec is one of the most vibrant and lively socle lieu in the western world Its residents have kicked out the iron pater nallsm of the Church exposed and scorened Its corrupt politicians It has pro duced more in art and music and writing proportionately than all the rest of Canada in the past decades It has also sent wise men and a few fools to Ottawa Rene Levesque Is no Idl a buffoon leading clowns The pro vince has vast national resources Its leaders are no Jumpedup parochial poli ticians but Intelligent farseeing maybe but tough practical men and women You cant toss oil that aside with a few sentimental platitudes about onecountry On the other hand many many Qucbe- cols dont want to leave the family Im more worried about Quebec being torn in two than about Canada breaking asunder Two years ago on a bus tour In France a lady from Montreal who spoke little English told me vehemently I no Rene win I go Ottawa Take my business Again its like a family Weve all been brought up Including the people of Quebec to the iden that we are one that we stretch from sea to sea that we arc different from the Yanks and the Brits and the French In a family some are willing to see one go Hes a bum a drunk Shes a trollop a tramp But at the least sign of reform or a change of heart or habits the outsider is welcomed back smothered with kisses So may it be this time of the hit parade And on a Saturday night I keep waiting for the patrons of the neigh hotel to foil against my door in a drunken stupor I guess 1 11 get use to no light in my eyes the quietness of a urban street no street lightstoppingtrafflcandnodrunks In the meantimeanyone got any sleeping pills Things arent the some around the Free Press lately since headline setter Oral Norton retired last week Oral was with the company for 17 years working hard providing en inspiration for all Her absence has left an empty seat In her corner of the composing room but has left even emptier areas in all our hearts as we try to get along without her Enjoy your retirement Oral And do us all a favor sleep in on Mondays Isabclle Weaver of Halton Hills was one of delegates elected at region con ventions who attended the 32nd annual Canadian convention in Vancouver recently Discussed at the convention was the drive for further diversification and the recurrence of persecution of In Iran where the faith was founded 137 years A 4 H Achievement Night was held In Milton recently with many area residents receiving awards club awards for com pleting projects went to Susan Auty Christine Curry fad and Tammy Hunter Dublin North Back issues JO years ago Taken from the Issue of The Acton Free Press Wednesday May In a facetoface confrontation Acton Chamber of Commerce charged that the poor policies of council had cost town industries and revenue this year John Shadbolt and the Chamber executive feel there is a lack of progress in the industrial park Mayor Lea said the delegation was ill informed on some matters Excavating began Monday for the first industry in the park Acton Box Company Frank had been located In the building on No 7 highway formerly Don Timmings dairy Vera Denny and David Scott received degrees Tom McKcown received his Sc degree A group of five boys including Chris Schuts John Hansen Scott Somervllle Joey Schuta and Taylor was the first Acton contingent to complete the 32 mile that raised for the Ontario Farm Home for the Deaf at Milton Miss Fern Small received a gift from her CGIT girls at the Mother and Daughter banquet She Is leaving Acton 20 years ago Taken from the Issue of The Acton Free Press Thursday May 19 1980 Tony Seynuck brought in the biggest gas well of his career Tuesday morning it is estimated to produce 1 cubic feet of gas The well is on the farm of Bill Thomp son In Trafalgor township This is well No 33forMr Seynuck OverWspectators were Illuminated by great rushes of burning gas from the top of the foot tower He started his career In when he spent six years drilling his first well Mrs W Finley was reelected Legion Auxiliaries zone commander during the zone rally here Nell a 19yearold Belgian mare knows her way all around her route with Ma sales Dairy wagon She has rarely missed a trip in years Reception was staged by Lakeside chapter IODE for new Canadians after they received their citizenship papers at Milton court house Susan Wilson was the Rotary student for Adventure In Citizenship in Ottawa this year She received her citizenship papers from the Hon Ellen Fa ire lough Parks board engaged Roszel as gate attendant and Ruth Lands borough as wading pool attendant at the rate of SI an hour The St John Ambulance Brigade under Superintendent Bob Hart Is holding courses each day Tor Savea Life week 50 years ago Taken from the issue or The Acton Free Press Thursday May 1930 A record crowd was in attendance at the third Music Festival in Milton and considerable prove was noted Acton choir directed by Mrs M It Moore placed second The Duke of Devonshire chapter will hold their annual Empire Day concert in the town hall Rev H L was inducted as the pastor of the Presbyterian church with a banquet served to the congregation by the ladies of the church afterward The house hold effects arrived from Halifax this week Mr and Mrs Bennle and their two children motored from Nova Scotia There was a splendid attendance at the annual meeting of the Amateur Athletic Club Every feature showed progress The Hockey Club had a most successful season G T Beardmore was president and Graham vicepresident Messrs Guild and erected a new garage in to accommodate their many patrons on the highway Messrs A Brown Ernest Coles attended the convention and banquet of radio dealers the Royal York Toronto 100 years ago Taken from the Issue of The Acton Free Press or Thursday May 1880 Now that the Credit Valley railway car ries mall the people of ex pect to get the Milton newspapers on Thurs day instead of Friday as formerly In the summer not only do cows play havoc with gardens in the village but they make the walks in a shocking dirty condition The council would hove the thanks of the majority of ratepayers if they would hove carried out the by law pro hibiting cows from roaming the streets Council approved paying the sum of teen dollars to the band to pay for the erection of a band stand Dont invest in fires rockers or you may be arrested for firing them Council are bound to put down the nuisance A runaway on Mill St Sunday mused considerable cxcltmcnt One of tho occup ants a lady Jumped out of the buggy and badly bruised The driver was a